Zeitgeist Films

Stop-motion animation auteurs the Quay Brothers will be at the Modern Museum of Art on August 9th, 2012 (a Thursday) to introduce their film Institute Benjamenta as part of MoMA’s retrospective on the twin brothers (On Deciphering the Pharmacist’s Prescription for Lip-Reading Puppets). They still look mostly like they do in the above photo, but you should see for yourself in person - the Brothers aren’t known for making a lot of public appearances. Click through for more info!

Not far from us (until September 26) is this beautiful piece by NYC-based sculptor Carole Feuerman - a slightly modified version of a sculpture she showed at the Venice Bienniale in 2007. 

From the artist’s website:

“Originally, I was going to name the sculpture Serena, after La Serenissima, an island of the city of Venice.  However, I decided to title it Survival of Serena,due to my concerns about the serious flood problem this beautiful city has.”

We were shocked and impressed to find that those water droplets are part of the sculpture!

The sculpture has been captivating passersby since its installation on May 20th. Zeitgeist’s Adrian Curry saw Guy Pearce admiring it just last week (no word on whether Pearce was on his way to steal more roles from genuinely old men… [cough] Prometheus [cough]). Stop by and see it in person at Petrosino Square before someone buys it and takes Serena away!

(all photos taken by the author)

Look at this. No, look at it. 

This is the kind of thing that’s been staring us in the face for the past few weeks, due to the thoughtful inundation of holiday sweets our many friends have sent our way. Thank you friends, thank you. We may now be in dire need of a metabolic miracle, but we regret not a single calorie. 

Similarly touching (but infinitely more forgiving re: our collective waistline) are these pieces of artwork inspired by Bill Cunningham, subject of the documentary YOU REALLY OUGHT TO (and probably already) HAVE SEEN BY NOW, Bill Cunningham New York. Our resident art and poster guru, Adrian Curry, has been compiling these charming tributes to Bill over the past few months… and now, we share them with you. You’ll be able to click through the photos to each artist’s website where available.

AleXsandro Palombo

Alli Arnold

Vanessa Marie Robinson

Jashar Awan for the New Yorker

Jashar Awan for the New Yorker

Linlee Allen

Samantha Hahn

Steve Brodner

Suzy Parker for USA Today

Deer Dana (You can get this as a shirt!!)

You can pick up our favorite tribute to Bill Cunningham at our website.

Happy Holidays!!!

Have a drink (but just one, please - be safe) for us at midnight on New Year’s… and we’ll see you January 2, 2012!

Put those not-long-for-this-world holiday discounts to good use and pick up a copy of Josh and Benny Safdie’s semi-autobiographical Daddy Longlegs, out TODAY for the first time EVER on DVD.

The film follows Lenny during a rare two weeks with his young sons, who spend most of their time with their mother - the evidently polar opposite to Lenny, who takes his sons on chaotic adventures around New York (even upstate!) and in his apartment.

Viewers are unlikely to recognize much of New York in the film - though there is a trip to the Natural History Museum, which troubles Lenny and the boys for days. The film’s take on New York, the way it handles the mood of the city, actually reminds us a little of Downtown 81, shot in 1980/1981 and starring Jean-Michel Basquiat. 

Did we mention there’s a DVD release party on December 15? You’re invited!

Our own Adrian Curry happened upon this at the Victoria & Albert Museum last week:

Here’s the actual model itself:

Though Derek Jarman began his career as a set designer, he soon began working in film, eventually directing many features and shorts of his own. The first of his features, Sebastiane (1975) was recorded entirely in Latin - the first film of its kind. 

Jarman also collaborated with The Smiths on several occasions, shooting their music video for The Queen is Dead. 

One of his most well-known films, Caravaggio (1986),

is full of names you’re sure to know (but maybe wouldn’t have in the year of its release). Robbie “Rubeus Hagrid” Coltrane, Michael “Alfred Pennyworth” Gough, Sean “Winter is coming” Bean, and Tilda “I was totally going to kill my baby brother” Swinton all feature in the film about the (in)famous painter. Coltrane rocks a mustache so curly as to make all of Williamsburg lower its head in shame. And Bean… so young, so blonde! He kind of reminds us of Sting in David Lynch’s Dune (the guiltiest pleasure there is):

As for Caravaggio (the man, not the film) - according to Wikipedia, the dude spent all of his non-painting hours brawling. In 1606, the incorrigible brawler actually killed another man… which makes it all the more disappointing to find out that he died of fever at the age of 38 (no doubt regretting he hadn’t brawled more).

Jarman’s version of Caravaggio is pretty true to this character, wielding knives on several occasions throughout the film (see above photo).

You can learn more about Jarman in the 2008 documentary by Isaac Julien, OR you can pick up Caravaggio (among some of his other films) on our site.

Whatever you do, please keep the brawling to a minimum. 

(or maybe just a hair behind them) We’ve joined Tumblr! Which you can see! Because you’re here!

When you’re not busy reading filmmaker profiles and buying DVDs over at the official Zeitgeist Films website, check back here for interviews, photos, behind-the-scenes content, and links to what’s going on in the independent film community.

We promise it’ll be fun. Unless it’s not fun on purpose.